


Slowing down

by EbbaTriesToWrite



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Gen, Nile Freeman-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:46:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26071354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EbbaTriesToWrite/pseuds/EbbaTriesToWrite
Summary: “You alright kiddo?” the bed dipped as Andy sat down.“Yeah.” it was a weak lie and she knew Andy would be able to see right through it.“Talk to me.” it wasn’t a demand, but it wasn’t a question either.Andy placed a hand on her arm and it was all it took for Nile to fall apart all over again. Her whole body shook with her sobs. She wanted her mom’s gentle touch and her brother's too rough hugs. And she’d never get that again.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Nile Freeman
Comments: 7
Kudos: 79





	Slowing down

Everything had been so intense since she met this mismatched group of people who somehow fit together perfectly. She would never have been able to imagine all this happening. Getting killed only to wake up completely fine, and then kidnapped by a six-thousand year old immortal warrior. Meeting three others like them and finding out there was another stuck at the bottom of the ocean, and then two of the ones she met - lovers like those out of storybooks - getting captured. Finding out one of them betrayed them all and having to save these people who were  _ so _ much older than her. 

Sending the traitor away had led her to believe that things would calm down but things kept going by so fast. Nile barely had time to register what was going on as they trained her rigorously. They went on missions and it was three months since she first died when they finally gave into her begging for a break. 

She got a full night’s sleep but when she woke up she still felt exhausted and so she stayed in bed. Joe came in with a cup of coffee, bragged about it being some expensive Italian blend, but when she took a sip, it barely tasted like anything. She didn’t say anything of the fact and Joe seemed to understand that she didn’t want to get out of bed just yet and left with the promise of showing her the city the following day. 

She sat the cup on the bedside table and curled up on her side, hugging her knees to her chest as she started recognizing what she was feeling; numbness. It felt like when she first lost her father, when everything felt pointless and empty. It was her mother that got her out of her slump. She didn’t do anything in particular but watching her be so strong made Nile want to be as well. 

Her mother couldn’t be her inspiration anymore. Nile bit her lip and blinked against the tears forming in her eyes, she didn’t want to cry. She lost the battle though and she held her hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs. It’s such a strange feeling, loss, that is. She felt nothing but everything at the same time. 

She heard the door crack open and stiffened, retroactively glad she’d turned over to face the wall.

“You alright kiddo?” the bed dipped as Andy sat down.

“Yeah.” it was a weak lie and she knew Andy would be able to see right through it. 

“Talk to me.” it wasn’t a demand, but it wasn’t a question either. 

Andy placed a hand on her arm and it was all it took for Nile to fall apart all over again. Her whole body shook with her sobs. She wanted her mom’s gentle touch and her brother's too rough hugs. And she’d never get that again.

“My family.” Nile tried to speak but her voice failed her as her breath got caught on nothing. 

Andy didn’t say anything, she only hummed in what Nile assumed was understanding. For a moment she thought that the older would leave but instead she felt a weight settle behind her, an arm around her waist and a hand comfortingly placed atop her head. 

They laid there for what must have been hours. There were no words of reassurance or false promises but it was what Nile needed. She wasn’t alone even if she wasn’t with those she wanted to be with. 

“This is why we keep busy.” Andy said eventually, “But it’s important to slow down too, to feel things.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!  
> xoxo


End file.
